We at The Om Shoppe and Spa make it our mission to make the
lives of our clients simpler and easier. We understand that life can be
incredibly difficult at times, but we also believe that the way we look at
life’s challenges contributes to the quality of our lives. Often, a doubting
attitude gets in the way of us achieving our goals. For this reason, this week
we wanted to take a moment to highlight 3 ridiculously easy ways to reach any
goal. If you follow these guiding principles you will find that you are able to
accomplish anything you set your mind to!

We at The Om Shoppe & Spa think it’s a very important practice to be aware of the freedoms and liberties we possess. Such awareness cultivates the basis for incorporating appreciation and gratitude into our lives. In addition, being aware of the privileges we hold is an important way to honor, respect, and continue the legacy of those who have sacrificed for our freedoms. For this reason, we wanted to take some time this week to highlight 5 civil liberties you might not know you had.

We are in the midst of a New
Year! In this new time we are free to leave behind the world-stage of 2016 and
move forward into a period of high energetic potential. 2017 holds in store a
number of exciting events upon its astrological horizon. If people are able to
access the high energy of the cosmos during these celestial events, this energy
may be channeled into individual or global transformation. This is why we at The Om Shoppe & Spa wanted to take a moment to inform our readers of a few
significant celestial events coming up in 2017.

Often it can be very easy to get lost in or indulge negative
thinking. In many cases it is the voice of our internal critic which inhibits
us from pursuing our goals or expressing ourselves completely. The internal
critic can be an especially powerful inhibitor when an individual is unaware of
the voice of the internal critic or misperceives the critic as being beneficent
in nature. We at The Om Shoppe & Spa are dedicated to introducing a sense
of peace to our community, which is why we wanted to highlight a simple
psychological technique that helps bring awareness to the inner critic so that
it may be transformed into an inner coach.

In this day and age it seems that
many individuals with a Western mindset have become dissociated from the deeper
purpose of religion and spiritual practice. We at The Om Shoppe & Spa
wanted to take a moment to remind everyone about the deeper purpose behind
religion. It is a human tendency to focus on the easily accessible aspects of
something, which may be why many people regard participation in religious
rituals or observances as constituting religiousness. While this is an
important part of it, it is important to consider the purpose of various religious rituals and observances.

A variety of religions with
corresponding rituals, structures, and procedures have been developed
throughout human history whose purpose it always is to connect people with the
Source of or explanation for their creation: this is the primary theme and
purpose of religion. Religion specialist Carla Rueckert defines three elements
of this theme which constitute the common threads shared by all religions.

1.Source
or Explanation of Creation

Religion explains that there is a
source or explanation of our creation in the universe. Religion provides a
framework of meaning for individuals. The alternative attitude dictates that
human life is meaningless as there is no higher purpose than survival. The
religious perspective instead declares that there is a higher truth to things
beyond what occurs on the surface level of everyday reality.

2.Everyone
Is From the Same Source

All religions explain that all
humans come from the same creator or Source into this world. In addition, all
people will return to the same Source after life. This Source is absolute and
inexplicable in nature, being beyond the scope of human comprehension.

3.Love
Unites All

Religion serves to aid people in connecting
with Source. Feelings of connection with Source are very powerful and
correspond to feelings of love. Religious participation encourage feelings of
connection with self, others, and Source. Love is a powerful thing which can
heal, change an attitude, or cause a miracle.

Religion is
a beautiful tool for connecting with our orienting sense of meaning and
purpose. Religious rituals, rites, holidays, and observances are all designed
to evoke feelings of love and respect for the Source of existence. We at The OmShoppe & Spa wanted to share this with you because it is our mission to
help bring a sense of awareness and connection into everyones' lives.

In order to help you achieve this sense of peace, we wanted
to highlight a few trending products, perfect for reducing stress and
encouraging deeper connection:

1. Any of our custom spa treatments are the perfect thing to
help you relax and re-center yourself. In the deep relaxed states you enter
during our treatments you will be able to experience deep connection with your
life.

2. Or try some Spiritual Awakening essential oil! With Frankincense for stimulation and Sandalwood and Cedarwood for peacefulness and grounding, this synergy blend essential oil helps focus attention for meditation and spiritual connection.

3.Make sure you're comfy when trying to connect with Source! An easy way of doing this is with a Zafu meditation cushion, perfect for meditations, kneeling, or even back support.

We at The Om Shoppe & Spa understand that the holidays
may be an especially stressful time of year. With all the hustling and bustling
that goes about, we sometimes forget to focus on the positives of the holiday
season. The reason we come together is to celebrate each other and express the
gratitude we feel. This goal is best achieved from a place of groundedness and
peace, which is why we wanted to take the time to give you some tips on

The holiday season is upon us! We know that gift giving can
be a large part of the holiday hustle and bustle, especially when you aren’t
sure what to get for a special someone. There’s really no reason that something
as joyful as gift giving should turn into something stressful, which is why we
at The Om Shoppe & Spa wanted to make your holidays shopping as blissful as
possible by offering three unique gift ideas which will appeal to anyone.

If you’re interested in giving yourself a health boost
without all the fuss, we at The Om Shoppe & Spa recommend diffusing
essential oils! Diffusion is the process through which particles from a
particular substance, through vibration, spread throughout a space. By
utilizing one of our several diffusing devices, you can introduce the health
benefits of an essential oil into any environment! We at The Om Shoppe &
Spa wanted to share with you some ways you can use an aromatherapy diffuser to
achieve maximum health.

Sound has long been recognized as an environmental element that can strongly influence the quality of life a space supports. Certain sounds like cooing, singing, or running water are natural and indicate safety and nature, whereas other sounds like slamming, cursing, or banging may find association with danger and uncertainty. Psychological studies have found that excessive sound can be stress inducing, as in the case of individuals living near highways, airports, or construction sites. At the same time, sound has been used as a tool for healing for thousands of years across many different cultures and civilizations. In order to understand how sound healing works, it is necessary to first understand what sound is.

We at The Om Shoppe & Spa are excited to announce that
Saturday the 26th is the three year anniversary of our business! Part
of the holiday season is showing your gratitude for all of life’s gifts, and we
are so grateful to all of the supporters of The Om Shoppe & Spa. As part of
our anniversary celebration, we wanted to take some time to explain the purpose
of why we exist as a shoppe: to help bring you a sense of Om.

The holiday season is all about expressing gratitude, but
amidst the stress that accumulates during this sometimes stressful season, we
sometimes forget to apply gratitude outside of the context of gift receiving. When
we spend too much of our time overworking or abstain from practicing self-care,
we lose the time and space for expressing gratitude. Even a small expression of
gratitude has a powerful effect on mood, producing a bountiful sensation. That
is why we’re explaining five minimal energy ways of introducing gratitude into
your life

Spending time with your loved ones this holiday season? We
at The Om Shoppe & Spa are reminded of a simple quote provided by the yoga
sage B.K.S. Iyengar: “Think you’ve conquered the ego? Spend some time with your
family and we’ll reapproach that question.” While family members are a source
of joy and support, it is often difficult to remain composed when a family
member expresses divergent political views or oversteps what you consider to be
normal or appropriate. For this reason we wanted to offer some survival tips
for dealing with disagreements over this holiday season.

The history and meaning behind Halloween have long been
concealed from public recognition due to the modern scientific-industrial
zeitgeist that refutes the relevance of astrological influence. Many understand
Halloween to be a modern interpretation of the reformed Celtic festival of
Samhain, an ancient feasting celebration. However, throughout the northern
hemisphere, Halloween-esque holidays have appeared cross-historically and
cross-culturally for thousands of years in various forms during roughly the same
time of year: at the midpoint between the autumnal equinox and the winter
solstice.

A Hypnotic event is being made
available at The Om Shoppe & Spa, and we wanted to dispel some myths about
this often-misunderstood form of therapy.

Hypnosis is a phenomena often
misrepresented by the media, being portrayed as a form of psychic penetration
in which the recipient’s will is subsumed by the influence of the hypnotist.
This is an inaccurate representation born from Hollywood’s love of exaggerating
that which is misunderstood. Hypnosis is actually a far more common phenomenon
than most people realize and always
involves a self-induced trance state.

This question has been at the forefront ofnutritional controversy for decades in the
Western world. On the one hand, salt is viewed as a life-sustaining mineral,
something that animals naturally seek out in the wild. However, in recent
decades, salt has become associated with an unhealthy diet, seen as something
contributing towards hypertension, and heart disease.
In order to better understand the nutritional nature of salt, it is first
necessary to dissect what salt actually is.

Birthstones, also called natal stones, are gems whose
vibrational potential is greater for individuals born during a cosmologically
energetic time that corresponds to the energetic nature of the particular
stones. Many people naturally feel a special attraction towards a birthstone
associated with the month or astrological time period they were born into.
Various traditions will proscribe different crystals as your birthstone. In
honor of the month of October we will be highlighting one of our favorite
birthstones: opal!

Across the span of history various
names have been given to the mysterious forces of the universe acting upon the
human level of reality. Some of these forces are arbitrary, such as the
attraction of gravity or the polarity of magnetism, however, there exists a
category of force which is non-arbitrary and in fact represents a mediating
element between individual consciousness and the external universe. Throughout history, individuals with the
highest intuitive abilities have been able to access and interpret this force
for the benefit of others. Often, this force is interpreted in a historically specific way. In 4,000 BCE in
India this force was enacted by the devas, in ancient Greece it was symbolized
by the muses, and today this force is carried out by the guardian angels.

Thursday September 22nd marks the day of the
Autumnal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. An equinox occurs as the Sun
crosses the celestial equator, an imaginary line in the sky corresponding to
the earth’s equator. In September, the Sun crosses the celestial equator,
leaving the Northern Hemisphere and entering the Southern Hemisphere. The equinox
is significant in that it indicates astrologically a change in the seasons:
here is the mid-point between summer and winter, between the high and low
points of the year.

Many names have been given to the mysterious energetic force
associated with vitality and life. Often, this force has been studied in
relation to its boundary within the human body, as in the case of the early
yogis and their knowledge of prana or the qi of ancient Chinese medicine. Not
until the middle of the 20th century was a theory of life energy expanded to
include a ubiquitous principle of universal life energy extending beyond the
confines of any organism.

“An illusion is a static image, displaced in the stream of
time, and for that reason is unreal.”

In this fast paced era of telecommunications and media
messages, it is easy to fall sway to the subliminal patterning of mass minded
marketing dynamics. With so much bombardment from external stimuli, it is important
to distinguish the illusory from reality. Only an awareness and acceptance of
the present moment can combat the illusory values of materialism, competition,
and commercialism. While the ubiquity of
foreign values may seem overwhelming, tools exist to penetrate the illusions of
the technology age. One such tool is amethyst crystal, whose properties are
related to the third eye chakra and penetrating illusions.

Salt has been a prized substance for thousands of years
across different cultures and continents; however historical trends in salt consumption
have been changing in recent decades. It has been theorized that during the
Paleolithic era humans consumed far less salt than what is recommended today. In the modern age, salt has become a household
product which a majority of Americans consume more than twice the daily
recommended value. Excess salt and sodium has been blamed for a
variety of serious health conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and
stroke.

The current global dynamic is an unprecedented one: never
before has technology permeated society to such a degree. While the affordances
technology offers in terms of communication and information are substantial, it
is important to remain aware of the potential risks associated with
technological immersion. One concern points to the influence of electromagnetic
fields (EMFs), physical energetic fields produced by electrically charged
objects.

The precursor to the modern system of pharmaceutical
healthcare was based on traditional herbal medicine. As ancient nomads and
hunter-gatherers began to settle in geographically regular locations they
became familiar with the plants, herbs, and other natural forms of life endemic
to those areas. Living so closely among nature resulted in the eventual
discovery of the medicinal qualities of various plants. Particular plants were
revered as being useful in the treatment of a variety of ailments. One such
plant is vitex, a shrub native to Greece and Italy whose berries and leaves
have been used in herbal medicine for over 2000 years.

Negative energy accumulates just like dust in a house. This
negativity may attach itself to a person being targeted by or generating the
energy, an object, or even a location. When allowed to accumulate, negative
energy manifests in the form of physical, mental, spiritual, and environmental dis-ease.
To the unattuned eye this energy acts as a lurking vampire continuously consuming
life-force energy, creating a draining atmospheric fugue. Energetically
sensitive individuals may be especially prone to attract this negativity,
however these individuals are also the best equipped to combat such energetic
intrusions. The technique of smudging, a gift of Native American wisdom, is a
simple and effective means of eliminating stagnant negative energy.

Humans have long sensed that crystals and unusual minerals
hold an inherent uniqueness among objects of the physical earth-plane. For
many, this uniqueness is based on an aesthetic appreciation for the colors,
textures, sheens, and reflections crystals afford which are rarely found in
nature in stable and durable formation.

Selenite is a crystal whose appearance appropriately
indicates the energetic potential contained within its lattice structure. This
crystal, named after the Greek moon goddess Selene is known for its ability to
harness the soft, feminine power of the moon. Known for its white, transparent
color, the glassy sheen of selenite is most reminiscent of a moonbeam stored in
crystal form.

The oldest recorded system of meditation dates back almost
7000 years and is recorded among the holy books (Vedas) of the Hindu religion. The
inspired poets (called rishis) responsible for these volumes attributed their
insight regarding mythology, religion, and morality to a natural process of
awakening that occurs following an intense commitment to meditation.

The metaphysical properties of light have been apparent for
thousands of years, as citizens of earlier civilizations would bathe in the sun
for energy, warmth, and strength and the moon for serenity, coolness, and focus.

The burning of fragrant herbs,
berries, roots, and resins for the purpose of ritual and holistic benefits has likely
taken place cross-culturally and cross-historically since the invention of fire.
Incense burning in its various forms emerged independently in the geographically
isolated regions of the great river valley civilizations between 5500 and 2500
BCE. The most distinct lineage of incense making belongs to the Indus river
valley, which is credited with having formulated the first unified and codified
system of incense making, the earliest mention of which is found recorded in
the Vedic texts of India dating back to 5000 BCE.

Shungite is a powerful black lustrous crystal found only in
Russia. Mined in large deposits, Shungite is extracted from the ground in
Karelia, an area near a small settlement called Shunga from where the crystal
draws its name. Chemical tests conducted on shungite deposits have corroborated
what local citizens of the Karelian area in Russia have known for hundreds of
years: that shungite is a special stone with multidimensional properties.

Singing bowls have been used for healing and meditation as far back
as about 500 B.C. Singing bowls are thought to have been used by
religious leaders in Tibet at that time, long before other religious
practices came into the region.

Life would not be possible without salt.
Your ability to think, remember and reason would be impaired. Your
muscles would no longer work. Your heart would stop beating. Although
salt sometimes gets blamed for many health ills, your salt's source can
make all the difference. To understand the superiority of Himalayan
gourmet salt, it helps to understand just how available salts are
sourced.

Whether you’ve diced it for your stir fry, minced it for your marinade or pressed it fresh for your morning juice, chances are you’ve enjoyed ginger in one form or another. Although you may have been busy focusing your energies on ginger’s spicy and distinctive taste, the odd-looking root rapidly went into action in your body to bring you a host of healthy benefits.

The same benefits can stand firm if you move ginger out of the kitchen and into your aromatherapy lineup with the use of organic ginger essential oil.

The understanding of the seven primary chakras and their significance as energy centers in the body affecting physical, mental and emotional health, dates back as far as 1,000 B.C. One of the most effective ways of keeping your chakras in balance is the use of a meditation singing bowl.

These bowls are known by many names--including singing crystal bowls, crystal singing bowls or crystal healing bowls--but all refer to special crystal bowls that, when struck or rubbed with a mallet, emit a note on the musical scale that corresponds to one of the primary chakras.

Depression may be a condition in your life, but with the help of pure essential oils, it certainly doesn’t have to be a way of life.

Essential oils are becoming more well-known for their ability to promote overall health and wellness, producing an overall calmness and uplifting of the body, mind and spirit. That uplifting can apply to the heavy burden of depression when you choose essential oils that contain antidepressant properties.

While it is sad to consider, today's environment can be sickening to your respiratory
health. It is no wonder there has been a rise in asthma among children,
as well as increases in a whole host of respiratory ills.

The
pharmaceutical companies are more than happy to provide consumers with a
myriad of medications, all designed to bring relief of symptoms ranging
from persistent cough to stuffiness to breathing difficulty. The only
problem is, exposing your body to additional chemicals that bring with
them all kinds of potential side effects has never been the best route
to better health.